The OTHER World Cup Stage

Brazil is roaring with energy as the World Cup’s quarterfinals are under way. But the hype and intensity is not confined in the football mecca. The internet is set a-buzzing and thanks to technology, the social media has become the “other” World Cup stage. The tandem of the football fever and the exponential power of the share has created a global phenomenon.

World Cup by the Numbers:

Numbers do not lie: More than 220 million people (all over the world) wrote a billion-related World Cup Facebook posts, 300 million tweets related to the sporting event have been released to Twitterverse, and as of the 54th game last Tuesday there has been 1.5 billion World Cup-related searches. With such astounding numbers (and we’re not even halfway through the tournament yet), the World Cup is already well on its way to smashing the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 Superbowl records! As a matter of fact, social media (and internet in general) has been dominated by the World Cup craze that different platforms have customized features catering to the online fanatics.

Google has a different World Cup doodle everyday:

Twitter has the explore the World Cup feature allowing you to follow the game and react real-time!

Twitter has also unlocked their brand-new feature: the hasfhlags!

What kind of World Cup Content is out there?

And when it comes to content, the social media ranges from the official to the laughable to the heartwarming & the heartbreaking. Blow by blow updates, schedule matches, announcements are released by FIFA’s official Facebook page (35 million likes), Twitter account (2.5 million followers) and YouTube account (900,000 subscribers). But majority of the genuine and creative real-time content is coming from the fans. And boy, do they just go all out.

There was an outpouring of support from the US fans during the agonizing loss of the US team to the Belgians:

Fans took to social media to express their anger and frustration for the game:

And what is the World Cup without memes?

Pushing their creativity, fans also create gifs, full-blown animations, and top-of-the-line posters!

In terms of content creation and management, the fans have reinforced three important lessons: release content real-time, tug at the hearts of the audience, and always push your creativity.

How are the brands jumpin in?

Brands are quick to jump into the social media bandwagon of the World Cup. Commercials featuring the football stars started making the rounds in YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.

Adidas’ All in or Nothing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1XQsCiAKE

Nike’s Winner Stays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaVtinE8oO8